Less than a week after the mass shooting here, people of San Bernardino gathered with leaders from many different faiths, committing ourselves to spiritual unity -- the Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches, La Asociacion Musulmana Latina de America, the Diocese of San Bernardino, Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement, an Inland Congregations United for Change and more. We gathered in support of the victims and survivorshttp://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/transgender-theology-professor-booted-christian-college-article-1.1467363 of the San Bernardino shooting, together once again with our Congressman Pete Aguilar, who earlier this week spoke at an interfaith vigil in solidarity with both the victims and the peace-loving Muslim community gathered with supportive neighbors at the Inland Empire Islamic Center.
Earlier this week, a new Muslim friend had tearfully shared with some of us the fear of leaving young children at home to come to these local interfaith vigils -- fear of not being able to return home alive, seeing from news reports that many fellow Americans (including media) are blaming all local Muslims for the actions of one couple.
As a parent of a young child myself, I have repeatedly known this fear when targeted by violent threats based primarily in conservative religious discrimination. As an out trans person who loses a friend or acquaintance in the trans community every few weeks to a hate crime or having been bullied by religious conservatives to suicide, I am used to it to living under the constant random threat of violent death. But some of our Muslim neighbors moved to here to escape from countries where they lived with this pervasive fear. They came to America as a land of peace and safety, a place that celebrates the religious freedom of all citizens.
Tonight, prompted in both Spanish and English by a Catholic priest, neighbors of every faith, race, age, and gender greeted those seated near us each in our own languages, with the word "peace." Together we applauded when local imam Dr. Aslam Abdullah rebuked those who use our community's tragedy to promote hatred and fear: "You want us to hate each other, but here we are, uniting in love! You want us to fight each other, and we gather for peace!" Local rabbis followed, reminding us that if we listen to those who want to divide our community and nation according to religion, race, or national origin, terrorists win. "I pray for you, and you pray for me," the service closed in song. San Bernardino was this site of tragedy nearly a week ago, but we will not be made into a breeding ground for revenge, hatred and fear: We are one community -- gathering, connecting and reconnecting, singing songs and speaking words of peace.